By Aaron Cordy
WHEN did Healthcare become Health… wait, and hopefully we’ll get around to you in the next two to three years?
Victoria’s healthcare crisis has left 67,000 Victorians on extended waitlists for elective surgery, with recent analysis showing the state’s hospitals have fallen short of agreed treatment targets by the equivalent of 100,000 surgeries a year.
Elective surgery, or ‘planned’ surgery means just that planned, not unnecessary. There are three types of elective surgery. Category 1 patients are considered urgent, and hospitals will try to ensure you receive surgery within 30 days. Category 2 patients are considered semi-urgent, and hospitals will try to ensure you have surgery within 90 days. Category 3 patients usually have their surgery booked within a year.
The shortage of healthcare across all sectors especially in regional Victoria means this criteria is not being met.
Wendy Lovell, Member for Northern Victoria, called for the Minister for Health to fund a clinical health school at GV Health, to address the region’s worker shortage and help clear the surgery backlog.
“There are 67,000 Victorians on the waitlist for elective surgery, including almost 900 at GV Health, and the government needs to get serious about clearing the backlog,” said Ms Lovell.
“Our medical professionals are doing the best they can, but they are overworked and fatigued, and our hospital desperately needs more health professionals.
“The Minister for Health must put in place a plan to assist hospitals to meet their treatment targets, and that plan must include training the additional health workers that our region desperately needs.”
The proposed school has been on the agenda for some time without seeming to grab legs.
“Workforce shortages remain a challenge across the health system, and GV Health’s current shortage of around 550 staff puts services like planned surgery under significant pressure. We acknowledge the many GV Health staff who continue to work hard to provide services the community and region require,” said GV Health chief corporate affairs officer, Tim Cannon.
“Despite ongoing workforce challenges, GV Health recognises the importance of surgical services to our community. That’s why we are working to meet our targets through partnerships with other hospitals in our region and specialised, high-intensity projects in our theatres.
“We are also working with all levels of Government to grow local opportunities for nursing, midwifery and allied health education, to secure our workforce for the long term.”
